Tit For Tat Says China-US Human Rights Violator!

The Chinese government came out swinging against the US State Department claim China violated human rights. It charged the United States with making “arrogant and malicious attacks” on other nations regarding human rights violations but “mentions nothing about its own human rights problems.” The Chinese report noted America’s huge prison population whose inhabitants are disproportionally from black and Hispanic backgrounds. The Chinese point out law enforcement and judicial departments in America continually cite examples of violation of the rights of its own citizens. For example, from May, 2001 to June, 2008, about 2,451 policemen in chicago received 4 to 10 complaints about violating the rights of people, but few were ever punished.

The litany of Chinese citations includes the war in Iraq and the one million Iraqis who have died as well as American involvment in the internal affairs of many nations in the world. The Chinese note racial prejudice in America and its large number of poor people who lack medical coverage. It also discusses the low percentage of women in elective offices nd the number of “sex slaves” working in American cities.

The Chinese figures on human rights violations are correct. However, the Chinese government fails to mention the information it presents is public knowledge in America and is widely discussed in the media. American reporters are free to examine the underside of life and write biting angry columns about Bush blunders in Iraq and Afghanistan. The problem for the Chinese is such freedom is not accorded its own media in discusssing human rights violations within China. The day information about human rights abuse in China is openly discussed is the day one can take China off the list of human rights violators.